The Editorial this week highlights:- a. Saint Ange Consultancy programmed travel schedules. b. appointed on the Steering Committee of the “African Tourism Board” Association. c. visitor arrival numbers in Seychelles. d. Etihad group CEO says restructuring likely to involve job cuts. Air Seychelles future plans ?. e. Mexico’s new president has no security: ‘The people will protect me’. f. I will be a panellist for Routes Africa 2018 (14th – 18th July). Stand alone articles this week starts with:- 1. Seychelles Inter Island Ferry Terminal upgrading facilities. 2. The Seychelles Tourism Board partners with Edelweiss Air to promote upcoming direct flights. 3. Africa’s new book on Investment Opportunities in Tourism. 4. Routes Africa 2018 Ghana (Seychelles consultant invited as panellist). 5. Air Tanzania Dreamliner to land on Monday. 6. New domestic airline launches on Madagascar. 7. Col. Andre Ciseau of Seychelles assumes office as acting PMAESA Secretary General. 8. Central Common Cold Store Public / Private Partnership in Seychelles. 9. “Ile de Tshegeza” of Congo is a holiday destination. 10. Seychelles Taxi Association says it is satisfied with meetings and now waits for Governments on way forward. 11. Fiona Jeffrey OBE is the new chair of African Travel & Tourism Association (ATTA). 12. Tanzania and Burundi ditch joint East African destination marketing. 13. Airbnb guest severely injured traversing stairs in home of Airbnb host: Is Airbnb liable? Seychelles’ illegal accommodation network for tourists:- Who is liable? the proprietor?. 14. WTTC ambassadors named. 15. International Newswires continue to republish our Report.
Last week, I reported on invitations received by Saint Ange Consultancy,which resulted in programmed travel schedules set to take me to five African Countries in the months of June to August. Today, I can confirm that in June and early July, I was with the private sector trade in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and was also the guest of Congo’s former Minister Elvis Mutiri wa Bashara in Kinshasa and in Goma in the DRC. This coming week I will be in Accra in Ghana as a panelist for Routes Africa 2018, and later in the month and in early August I will be in Kenya and in South Africa for private sector trade missions.
As Africa moves to rewrite its own narrative and claim back ‘Brand Africa’, I am happy to report that I have been appointed on the Steering Committee of the “African Tourism Board” Association. This body is moving forward with the concept “Where Africa becomes one destination”. Major announcements will be made in the coming weeks as the Global Tourism Industry moves in to work with Africa through the “African Tourism Board” body.
On the Seychelles front, many letters from the local tourism industry raised the recently published visitor arrival figures. An extract from one of these letters principally coming from smaller establishments on Mahe and Praslin said:- “I am sure your are looking closely at the numbers. Tourism is down badly from projections made for the year. The reality of US$100 per barrel oil is not far off, as Trump turns on trade war tactics with Europe. Anxiety will keep potential travellers near home, long haul partners will drop us one by one because we cannot keep their flights load factor on par…. because it is the dark cloud now looming over us. The impact of the World Cup as argued by STB is a red herring, a scape goat if you will. 2% in Seychelles could just as well really be -2%”.
The arrival figures are noted and needs to be monitored by every Seychellois. We are now into July and we are just leaving what was traditionally the ‘low season’, which had been virtually levelled out for a few years. Today, the difficulty facing the private sector trade is the number of villas that are benefiting from these same arrivals numbers, but fall into the unlicensed accommodation network. Eden Island is nearing completion and only by itself the 1000 plus villas of two to three rooms, will accommodate over two thousand visitors landing and counted in the island’s official statistics, but who are not part of the hotel network system. We need desperately to continue to grow the tourism cake, and move away from politically biased discussions that will end up with job losses and closures of the small Seychellois owned tourism establishments. Seychelles needs increased visibility to remain relevant as a tourism destination.
Etihad group CEO says restructuring likely to involve job cuts.
Air Seychelles future plans ?
On the 3rd July, Reuters reported that planned Etihad Airways organizational restructuring is expected to lead to some redundancies of senior and mid-level management, its group chief executive said. Thousands of employees have left the Abu Dhabi-owned airline since it started overhauling its business in 2016, Group CEO Tony Douglas told Reuters by phone. On Tuesday Etihad announced it was restructuring the airline into seven business divisions reporting directly to Douglas. On its part the Gulf Business News reported that made announcements will see Etihad’s various business move into seven divisions:- operations, commercial, maintenance, repair and overhaul, human resources, finance, and support services and transformation. Few details about Etihad’s ongoing restructuring have been made public, although it has included reviewing billions of dollars of aircraft ordered from Airbus and Boeing . Etihad, which competes with Emirates and Qatar Airways, also said it had appointed Mohammad al-Bulooki as chief operating officer and Robin Kamark as chief commercial officer.
On its part, a lot of questions are floating around Air Seychelles, which is partly owned by Etihad Holding since 2017, when we at Saint Ange Tourism Report raised concerns about moving the shares of our airline to Etihad Holding Company. Today, major restructurings are taking place in Abu Dhabi and Air Seychelles is losing its reason for existence as the insurance policy for the Seychelles tourism industry. Concerns are being raised at applicable fares from Mauritius to India via Seychelles, and also from South Africa to India via Seychelles. These applicable fares are not encouraging holiday travels to Seychelles, but are instead favouring India as the holiday destination.
Mexico’s new president has no security: ‘The people will protect me’
A nice touch in a desire to remain connected:- Should a representative of the people be protected from the people he represents? or is this but a sign that he fears he has not delivered on the mandate he was given. In Mexico the new President says he does not need security because the people who elected him will protect him…
‘He who fights for justice has nothing to fear,’ Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado said. ‘I do not want to have bodyguards’ Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leaves the National Palace after holding a meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto, in Mexico City, on July 3, 2018. JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images MEXICO CITY — New President-elect
I will be a panellist for Routes Africa 2018 (14th – 18th July)
Routes Africa brings together top-level speakers from across the sphere of aviation to discuss the most pressing issues facing the industry. Addresses will be delivered by airline CEOs and senior network planners, along with some of the most influential figures from across Africa and beyond. Panel sessions, keynote speeches and training opportunities will ensure that delegates maximise the value of their attendance at Routes Africa 2018. I am honoured to have been invited to be part of the panellist for a discussion on “Economic impact of tourism – tourism authorities and airports in partnership”. This topic is so relevant to Seychelles today. When making decisions to create new routes or add additional services, airlines need a coherent picture of a destination. This means tourism authorities and airports working in harmony to form a cohesive picture, and some of the best examples of destination marketing arise when the teamwork is closest. How are African airports and destinations approaching this important partnership, and what are the best examples which others can follow to develop their network.
It is important to again today acknowledge all who are diligently re-posting the Saint Ange Tourism Report weekly. Our Report ranges far and wide, from Australia to the Americas, from the Indian Ocean Vanilla islands to Africa & Asian and Greater Europe, with your continued support, which is greatly appreciated. You are helping us to grow from strength to strength with each new Edition.
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